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* Giveaway: Scroll to the bottom for a chance to win a free copy of Parallels Desktop 7 from MacTrast!
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Overview
For those unfamiliar with Parallels Desktop 7, it’s an application you can run on your Mac that will allow you to run Windows and various other operating systems side by side with your Mac applications. (You will need an installation package and a valid license to install and run any Operating Systems inside Parallels Desktop.) It can be set up to run full screen or in a window, and can also run in what Parallels calls “Coherence” mode, where the Windows apps appear on your desktop just as native Mac apps would.
While Parallels Desktop has always done a satisfactory job running Windows and its applications, they have found ways in each update to improve the integration and performance of the application. Here are a few of the new features in version 7.
For the purposes of this review, I downloaded and installed the Fedora 15 VM that’s available through the wizard. It took less than 15 minutes to download, extract, and install the VM.
Once your virtual machine is installed and setup to your satisfaction, you’ll find its performance is near that of the OS running on an actual PC. Disk access, application speed, and graphic performance is more than satisfactory. I’m not sure I would run any graphically intensive games that have been recently released for the PC on the VM, but for day to day business and productivity apps the VMs provide more than adequate performance.
I had previously purchased the iOS Parallels app, and updated it for this review. The app works smoothly, and allows you to remotely access your Mac, and the virtual machines running on your Mac. It’s a bit of a pain to use a mouse based OS with a touch device, but if you need to remotely access your Mac and its virtual machines, it more than does the job.
Parallels Desktop 7 is worth the update, especially for Mac OS X Lion users, and the improved performance and ease of use is well worth the price. The integration with Lion makes using your virtual machines alongside your Lion desktop easier than ever.
If you’re a new Mac user, and you still need to have access to the world of Windows, Parallels Desktop 7 is a great solution, allowing you to move into the world of Mac, while still being able to run any Windows apps you’re still in need of.
Price: $79.99 Full Version, $49.99 Upgrade Version (From Parallels Desktop version 5 or 6). Both versions available online from the Parallels website.
iOS version available on the App Store ($4.99 for a limited time, Standard price will be $19.99 – App Store Link)
Rating: 4/5[rating:4]
Pros
Cons
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Parallels is a fantastic piece of software, and every Mac user should have the chance to try it out. As such, we’re giving away a copy of Parallels Desktop 7 to one of you, our fantastic readers!
To enter the giveaway, simply post the following message on Twitter:
Enter to win a Copy of Parallels Desktop 7 from @MacTrast and @ParallelsMac! Details: http://mctr.st/z3MFaB #MTParallels
To be eligible to win, you must follow @MacTrast and RT the message. The giveaway will run through today and tomorrow, and a winner will be announced on this post on Wednesday morning. Location doesn’t matter – we can send your prize anywhere in the world!
Good luck!
Congratulations to @felicia, the winner of our Parallels Desktop 7 giveaway! Didn’t win? No worries – there’ll be plenty of giveaways coming in the near future!
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